Chapter Thirty-Nine
Rowan
“Well, Gallagher, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
I grimace. Dr. Lawrence is a younger fella, probably a few years older than myself. Sandy blonde hair, bright smile, and easy bedside manner. He’s only been with the team a couple of years now, but he’s already proven to be an asset to us all.
“Just give it to me straight, Doc, will ya?”
As a professional athlete, injuries have the potential to force me into early retirement. I’ve only just begun my career, and I’m not interested in being benched so soon. Just rip the bandage off and tell me what’s happening.
He must sense my irritation, because he nods. “It’s not broken, but you do have a third degree sprain.”
Fuck me. That will put me out for at least a month.
“Your x-rays show only minimal ligament tearing, which means it’s possible that it’s not a full third degree, but that’s how we’re going to treat it. I’d rather err on the side of caution.”
“How long until I’m back on the pitch?” I ask anxiously.
“My guess is six to eight weeks, but I’m going to do everything I can to shorten that, as long as it’s safe to do so.
I’d like to get you in for an MRI just to make sure we didn’t miss anything with x-rays.
We’ll have a clearer picture after that.
For now, let’s keep it wrapped, iced, and elevated. ”
Blowing out a breath, I rub my hands over my face. “Yeah, alright, Doc. Thanks.”
“Try not to stress too much,” he suggests gently, offering me a hand to help me slide off the exam table. “This isn’t career ending, okay? You’ll probably feel achy when it rains, but if you follow directions and don’t do anything to mess up the healing, it won’t interfere with your game.”
Dr. Lawrence hands me a set of crutches, and as I adjust them, I’m filled with relief at his words. It’s going to be a rough month or so, but I can follow orders. Whatever it takes to get me back on the pitch.
We exit the exam room, and leaning against the wall across from us is Alicia, worry etched all over her face. Fuck, I’ve missed her. She looks gorgeous in my jersey. I have half a mind to sneak her into an empty room, but then I realize that might not be possible.
“Um, say, Doc?” I ask, never taking my eyes off of my girl. “What other restrictions do I have?”
He looks from me to Alicia, whose eyes have gone wide, and her cheeks are a lovely shade of scarlet, then claps a hand on my shoulder. “Just don’t put any weight on that leg, Gallagher. Keep any…special exercises…to a sitting position or something similar.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” I say confidently. “Probably should have help in the shower, too, yeah?”
“Jesus Christ,” Alicia mutters under her breath, rolling her eyes at me.
This gets a laugh out of Dr. Lawrence. “Good luck. I’ll call you when we get the MRI set up.”
“Thanks, Doc. Appreciate you.”
He takes off down the hall, and once I’m sure he’s out of earshot, I take a step back into the exam room, holding Alicia’s gaze. “C’mere, lass.”
I expect her to take her sweet time, but she launches herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck.
The suddenness of it has me wobbling, but thankfully, the table is right behind me.
I’m able to prop myself against it as the crutches clatter to the floor.
I band my arms around her waist, pulling her as close to me as possible and burying my face in her neck.
“Hiya, hen.”
“Are you okay?” She whispers, voice thick with emotion. “I saw you go down and—.”
“Shhh. I’m okay, love,” I reassure her, pulling away to cup her face in my palms. “I’m so glad you’re here though. That was the best surprise.”
I capture her mouth with my own before she can respond, the need to taste her overwhelming.
She opens instantly, a soft moan leaving her as I caress her tongue with my own.
Moving a hand to the back of her neck, I grip her firmly to keep her at this angle, while moving my other hand to her lower back. Her fingers tighten in my hair.
The only plus side to being out for injury is the fact that I’ll get to see this woman more. I’m lucky to live under the same roof as her, fall asleep next to her and wake up to her every morning. Thinking about being in bed with her has my cock beginning to stiffen.
“Do we need to find a chair, baby?” Alicia mutters against my mouth as one of her hands slides down to palm me through my shorts.
My hips flex forward voluntarily as I grunt, dragging my mouth along her jaw. “I don’t want a chair. I want to fuck you against the wall. Make you scream my name so loud, they’ll hear it outside.”
“Oh God,” she moans. “I want that too.”
The desire in her voice has me fumbling for the button of her jeans. Once it’s loosened, I pull the zipper, then stuff my hand down her knickers to cup her pussy. She’s soaked for me. The instant I slip a finger inside, her hips buck, little sounds of pleasure filling the room.
“Darlin’, I think I need to clean you up.”
“Yes,” she pleads, rolling her body against mine.
Making to pivot, pain lances through my ankle and I start to go down. “Fuck!” I was so caught up in the moment, I actually forgot I was injured.
With some kind of super human ability, Alicia braces a leg against me and hooks her arms around my chest to prevent me from falling. We stand there, staring wide-eyed and panting before dissolving into quiet laughter. She drops her forehead to my chest, and I kiss her hair.
“Let’s go home, a chéadsearc.”
* * *
“So, wait,” Bridget starts. “It was your coach’s idea?”
We’re on our way back home. Bridget is sitting up front with Alicia, while I’m in the back with my foot propped across the seat.
After having doc send the order for the MRI to the Wilmington clinic and requesting a local physical therapist, we loaded up and hit the road.
Bridget has been asking question after question about the injury and how it happened.
When I explained that Coach changed our game plan, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Aye, he did. He knew better, but did it anyway,” I tell her.
“But why?”
“Wish I knew, mo stóirín. I should have spoken up.”
The thought has been plaguing my brain all night. If I would have been a bit braver and challenged him, I might have been put on the bench, but I wouldn’t be injured. Nor would the other forward.
“None of this is your fault, Ro,” Alicia reminds me, glancing in her rear view mirror to catch my eye.
“You’re supposed to trust your coach to do what’s best for not just the team as a whole, but for each of you individually.
He’s the asshole that made this call, so the blame rests squarely on his shoulders.
Frankly, I think he should be reported.”
“You’re not wrong, love, but I’m hesitant to take it higher at the moment. Coach seemed off tonight more than once, so I’d like to talk to him personally before jumping to conclusions. If he’s struggling with something, I don’t want to add to it, yeah?”
She meets my eyes again. “You’re too good, Gallagher.”
“This means you’re going to be home with us, right?” Bridget asks excitedly before I can respond to Li.
“Aye, I will. I’ll have to come back to Charlotte periodically to meet with Doc, but he said I could do most of the PT in Wilmington. You’ll probably be sick of me by the end.”
“I mean, yeah, probably,” she teases, sounding too much like her bratty older sister. “But I’ve lived with Li all my life, so it will be cool to have another person around.”
“Gee, thanks, B,” Alicia says dryly.
It does my heart good to see these two laughing and slagging each other. After the whole ordeal with their piece of shite father, I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be, but I should have known better than to assume the worst. These two are made of stronger stuff than most.
Alicia did end up reporting him to the police.
She’s not hopeful he’ll be caught, but the fact that he has prior felonies on his record should lend a helping hand.
Losing the money she worked so hard for is quite the blow, but I think she’d rather have him put away for good than see a dime of what he took.
She’ll fight me on it, but I’ll do my damnedest to make sure she and Bridget never have to worry about money again.
It’s late by the time we make it back, and I’m ready to take some pain killers and crash for the night with Alicia tucked into my side.
She unlocks the door and we all file in.
Bridget flips the light on, and I’m stunned to see that my bachelor pad has been turned into something homey.
The furniture has been rearranged to make space for the items the girls brought from their own place.
I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to make it work together, especially with such different styles, but with the added throw pillows, blankets, and rugs, it looks like the ultimate comfort den. It’s cozy and welcoming.
As my eyes wander around the space, noting the artwork and framed pictures on the walls, I stop on a large photograph that’s been printed onto canvas.
It’s a selfie of the three of us from when we were at the beach.
Our heads are pressed together, cheeks pink from being in the sun.
We’re all grinning, but the absolute joy radiating from my lasses’ faces is what steals the spotlight.
Alicia’s eyes are softer, giving her face a contented look, whereas Bridget’s are bright and mischievous.
Arms loop around my waist from behind. “Welcome home, baby. Do you like it?”
Clumsily, I turn until I’m facing Alicia and place both hands on either side of her neck, stroking her jaw with my thumbs. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
She stretches onto her toes and kisses me softly. “I love you.”
I still get a jolt in my system whenever she utters those three words, because I know that Alicia doesn’t say things she doesn’t mean, especially when those things could make her feel vulnerable.
And opening your heart to someone, entrusting its safe-keeping to someone else, is the most vulnerable position anyone could be in.
“I love you, a chéadsearc.” I tell her with my full chest then kiss her again, holding her tighter when she starts to pull away.
“God, you two are the worst.” Bridget quips from the kitchen. “Can’t you keep it in your pants until you get to your room?” I almost forgot she was still in the room.
“She’s right. We should go to our room,” I growl against Alicia’s mouth, squeezing her hips tightly. She nips my bottom lip before patting my chest and stepping away to join Bridget.
“Go sit down,” she calls over her shoulder. “I’ll get you a fresh ice pack and your pain meds.”
“Thanks a million, darlin’. I’d be lost without you.”
“I know.”
I chuckle at her sass, but mentally praise myself for not saying what I want to about her bratty mouth and what I’d prefer she do with it. Adjusting to having a young lass under the same roof is going to be a challenge.
“Hey Ro, want something to eat?” The young lass in question asks.
Internally, I’m a puddle of sappy feelings, but on the outside, I grin mischievously and lock my fingers behind my head. “A bloke could get used to having a couple of lasses lookin’ after him like this. What ya cookin’, mo stóirín?”
The two look at each other, roll their eyes, and proceed to ignore me completely for a solid thirty minutes. Aye, we’ll be just fine.